Saint Lucia's Day

This sweet little Penelope Lucia was so excited to be the special crown-wearer and cinnamon roll distributor on St. Lucy's feast day last week.

We didn't have a lighted wreath, but her godmama came to the rescue and made sure she'd have one for the occasion. I love that she shares this special name-day with her godmother's birthday <3

They got P's stamp of approval. I can't say that I made them- these "Cinnsations" were made possible by the bakers at Kwik Trip.

We have dubbed this road close to the zoo "Santa Claus Lane" because nearly every house has an inflatable Santa (or Grinch :-P)

Since St. Lucy is the saint of light, we like to drive around and look at Christmas lights on her feast day. In the afternoon, we drove into Madison to meet our friends at the zoo for Zoo Lights.

We got to the zoo at 4:45, 15 minutes before they closed, but it was enough for us to run around and take in some of the amazing light displays. They actually open back up at 5:30, when it costs an arm and a leg to see the lights, but my friend was told in the past by a zoo employee that this was the best time to see them- before they closed their free admission at 5.

It was VERY cold- another reason to RUN!

Our friends had parked at the other entrance, on the opposite side of the zoo, but we met in the middle to snap this quick shot and then ran back our respective ways so as not to be locked out.

Then we drove a few minutes away to see the light display at Olin Park. It seemed a little underwhemling after the Zoo Lights, but the kids enjoyed spotting familiar characters and scenes.

And after seeing the lights, we went back to our friends' house for pizza and play.

St. Lucia, pray for us!

A Christmas tree

For many years, we have waited until Gaudete Sunday (the third Sunday in Advent) weekend to get our Christmas tree. The past few years, however, there's been slim pickings by then, and we end up getting a sub-par (or insanely large) tree. So Mike opted to head out in search of our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. He and the girls came home with a lovely, modestly-proportioned frasier fir.

He brought it in and put it up right away but it didn't get its lights until St. Lucy's Day. She is the saint of light, after all.

We brought out the ornaments to bedeck it on Gaudete Saturday. (I found Joel's sweater at St. Vinny's, and he's worn it 91% percent of Advent so far.)

Isn't she pretty as a picture?

Sometimes I'm in the mood for just the whites. They make it feel so peaceful.

Advent blessings.

St. Nicholas Day

The kids awoke to candy in their shoes, some books (St. Nick scored almost all at St. Vinny's this year), and some new cozies and/or socks.

And some hot cocoa making and cookie decorating supplies.

All day this one's blood sugars were a challenge to keep down- so much sugar around, and he kept sneaking candy... we need find better lock-down systems! 😬

We usually put together Shoebox Gifts for Kids on St. Nicholas Day, but it seems the organization that heads that up has done something different this year, so we decided to host a family and get some larger gifts for them instead. It was fun to buy presents for a family with kids similar in age and interests to ours, knowing how much it might mean to a family who is not as blessed financially as we are.

The past several years on St. Nicholas Day, we have hosted a party here with some homeschool friends, as I always enjoy having people over on the anniversary of Roma's fatal fall. But this year I just didn't have the energy for it, and we decided to stay home with our immediate family. Sometimes I just miss that boy so much 💙

ALL the holiday cookie making

The cookie-making that's been happening around here lately is remarkable.

The kids helped make 600+ cookies at church for the cookie sale last week.

Abby and I and some of her friends and their moms went to a cookie decoarting class and learned how to be pros with royal icing.

(my finished cookies)

(And Abby's) We may just start our own cookie business.

On St. Nicholas Day, we made some impressive gingerbread cookies.

And look at that clean and festive kitchen! I can't take credit for it, but I'm grateful when Opal decides to tidy and ropes her siblings in :-D

I taught the kids some royal icing techniques. They caught right on!

Elizabeth came to visit and make peanut butter blossom cookies with the kids. We love Elizabeth!

More cookie-making at church- this time for some local nursing homes